There are many gay clergy in the UK that want to now marry their same-sex partners, given the change in law. Archbishop Welby’s tone comes in stark contrast to a letter sent by bishops last month, that attempted to block this from happening.

This resulted in a huge backlash from supporters.

However, the Archbishop’s words of late signal a general softening in the Church’s approach to gay people.

Last year, the Archbishop expressed his “sadness and sorrow [that] it is also absolutely true the church has not always served the LGBT communities as it should.”

Somehow, I’d imagined the UK was ahead of the USA on marriage equality. Last year, the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi announced that same-sex unions could be performed within the Church, but left the final yea/nay up to each parish priest. Now, we just have to wait for the MS Legislature to change the law banning same-sex marriage.

Mar 28, 2014 at 10:47 pm · @Reply ·

gaym50ish

This departure from “traditional” marriage must have the Church of Entland’s founder, King Henry VIII, turning over in his grave — along with his wife Catherine of Aragon, his wife Anne Boleyn, his wife Jane Seymour, his wife Anne of Cleves, his wife Kathryn Howard and his wife Katherine Parr.

A couple of them lost their heads over Henry’s devotion to traditional marriage.